YOUth Paperback by Olivia Zhang

Product Details

• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers (2026-02-03)
• Language: English
• Paperback: 168 pages
• ISBN-13: 9798890571533
• Item Weight: 368.55 grams
• Dimensions: 0.0 x 0.0 x 0.0 cm

This essential guidebook, which shows young changemakers how to build successful nonprofits from scratch, comes from the teenage founder of Cancer Kids First, the world’s largest youth-led cancer nonprofit. It features step-by-step worksheets, checklists, and actionable exercises.

Young people are driving social change like never before, but many passionate activists lack the roadmap to turn their ideas into sustainable organizations. Olivia Zhang, who founded Cancer Kids First at age fourteen after losing two loved ones to cancer, delivers the comprehensive nonprofit guide she wishes she’d had when first starting out.

Now a Harvard student and recipient of the Diana Legacy Award, Zhang shares her journey of growing Cancer Kids First to reach over 10,000 patients across twenty-two countries.

Readers will get from Zhang the following:

• Step-by-step instructions on legal filing, branding, team-building, and fundraising
• Practical worksheets, checklists, and actionable exercises
• Gen Z–friendly format with emojis and approachable language
• Proven strategies from Zhang’s journey of scaling Cancer Kids First to twenty-two countries

Drawing from her viral Google Doc guide that garnered more than 400,000 views, Zhang transforms trial-and-error lessons into an actionable blueprint, covering startup essentials, growth strategies, and authentic leadership challenges unique to young founders. For every passionate young person who believes they can and should change the world, YOUth is the ultimate resource to make it happen.

About the Author

Olivia Zhang founded Cancer Kids First (CKF) in 2019 at age fourteen after losing two loved ones to cancer. As CEO, she’s grown CKF into the world’s largest youth-led nonprofit in its field, with over 40,000 volunteers across eighty countries. The organization has initiated more than 200 events, donated 60,500 resources, and partnered with seventy-two hospitals, aiding 10,000 patients in twenty-two countries. Zhang received the 2023 Diana Legacy Award and Harvard First-Year Emerging Global Leader award. She has been featured in People, Yahoo News, Business Insider, CBS News, and more.